Sonic Boom,'Chalk Granny': Top NorCal News Stories Of 2021
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — As 2021 comes to a close, we take a look back at the year's most-read news stories in Northern California.
As we pause to reflect on the past year, we remember the lives lost to the coronavirus and how some businesses were forced to close their doors because of the pandemic. We also reflect on our neighbors who made the days of quarantine brighter.
We take a look back at mask mandates and the vaccine rollout.
We also recall stories about weird weather and a "sonic boom."
We mourn loved ones lost in senseless shootings or other tragedies.
In chronological order, here are the Top 21 most-read news stories on Northern California Patch sites in 2021.
Jan. 7, 2021: Macy's To Close California Stores In 2021 The stores are in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California. A Bloomingdale's will also close.
Jan 7. 2021: Man Climbs Through Child's Bedroom Window: Alameda Police: The Alameda Police Department is warning residents to take extra precautions because of home burglaries and trespassing incidents. In one especially troubling case, "a child woke up to a man climbing into her bedroom window.
Jan. 11, 2021: Peninsula's 'Chalk Granny' Lifts Spirits Amid Dark Times: What began as a way to beat back boredom amid the early days of quarantine turned a Redwood City grandmother into a neighborhood cult hero.
Jan. 24, 2021: Godiva To Close All 7 Bay Area Locations: Chocolatier Godiva became the latest victim of the pandemic, announcing plans to close its 128 North American stores, including seven locations in the Bay Area.
Feb. 12, 2021: Salmonella Killing Songbirds In California: The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and local wildlife rehabilitation centers are asking residents to put away their bird feeders and birdbaths until the springtime to help stop the spread of a deadly illness affecting small songbirds.
Feb. 14, 2021: $2.8M Lotto Ticket Snagged In Bay Area: The winner bought a ticket worth $2,881,341 at a 7-Eleven in Vallejo, according to the CA Lottery.
Feb. 16, 2021: COVID-19 Vaccination Megasite Opens At Oakland Coliseum: National Guard troops will staff the supersite, a joint effort of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Coliseum site and a second one at California State University, Los Angeles are beta sites for the rest of the country. The federal government plans 100 vaccination supersites nationwide.
March 24, 2021: Dublin Mourns School District Trustee Killed In Campus Crash: Catherine Kuo was a longtime resident, wife and mother who had a passion for her faith and shaping a better future for students.
April 17, 2021: CA Stimulus Checks: When Will Yours Arrive? "Regardless of your status, those who have been left behind in that federal stimulus, California is not going to leave you behind," Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
May 13, 2021: Sonic Boom In The Bay Area? Residents Report Shaking, Loud Noises: Some said their houses shook. Others reported hearing an explosion-like noise or a loud boom. Some speculated that the sound may have been the result of a meteor.
May 24, 2021: 1 Hospitalized In Shooting At Sun Valley Mall In Concord, Police Say: The shooting happened inside the mall between Red Robin and Sears, the Concord Police Department said. Officers responded to find one person shot.
May 26. 2021: San Jose Shooting Latest: 9 Victims Identified, Suspect Dead: Nine people were killed in a mass shooting in San Jose Wednesday morning at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority light rail yard, the latest tragedy that prompted President Joe Biden to call again for an end to "this epidemic of gun violence in America" and Gov. Gavin Newsom to ask, "What the hell is wrong with us?"
June 4, 2021: Fully Vaccinated Napa County Woman Dies From COVID-19: The woman tested positive for the B117 — or UK — variant, which is more transmissible and causes more severe illness, county officials said, noting that vaccine breakthrough cases happen in a small percentage of vaccinated people.
June 18, 2021: FBI Investigating Hacker Attempt To Poison Bay Area Water: Report Many critical infrastructure operators are vulnerable to remote hack attacks from foreign interests, federal officials warned last year.
June 21, 2021: East Bay Mass Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 5 Injured At House Party: The shooting occurred at a Marimba party, a Guatemalan Father's Day celebration with live music. A nephew of one of the three people killed in the attack said his uncle sold fruit around the Bay Area.
July 16, 2021: 8 Bay Area Health Officers Recommend Wearing Masks Indoors: As COVID-19 cases rise, officials in some of the Golden State's largest metropolitan areas are reconsidering mask guidelines.
Aug. 3, 2021: Missing Runner's Body 'Likely' Found In Pleasanton, Police Say: Philip Kreycik's body was likely found by a volunteer, near a trail used by animals. He disappeared on a triple-digit day in Pleasanton.
Aug. 17, 2021: Santa Clara County Sheriff Defies Calls To Resign, Defends Actions: Facing calls to resign over alleged mismanagement of county jails, lack of transparency and several bribery and corruption scandals, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith defended her actions in a news conference Tuesday, describing calls for her resignation as "nuts."
Sept. 10, 2021: Lightning Strikes East Bay; 1,100 Bolts Zap CA Overnight: More than 110 confirmed lightning strikes touched down overnight in the region since, the National Weather Service Bay Area office said. More than 1,100 lighting strikes were reported statewide in that timeframe. Napa and Sonoma counties saw the most lightning strikes in the Bay Area.
Nov. 8, 2021: Cupertino Vice Mayor Defends Chinese Exclusion Act As Not Racist: Cupertino Vice Mayor Liang-Fang Chao defended the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act in an email group of Cupertino Union School District parents last week, arguing that the first and only federal legislation to explicitly suspend people of a specific nationality from entering the United States was not racist.
Nov. 18, 2021: Bay Area Reacts To Rittenhouse Verdict; Protest Planned: Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, was found not guilty of all charges after fatally shooting two protesters in the wake of a police killing last year.
This article originally appeared on the Petaluma Patch
